Tuesday, November 25, 2014

My Ridiculous Trade Proposal, About Which I Am Totally Serious

The Astros biggest need, in my estimation, is a third baseman. Matt Dominguez now has 1300+ major league plate appearances with a .275 on base percentage, and is trending down. There are several prospects in the system that could take that spot, including Colin Moran and Rio Ruiz, but they are not ready yet, and are not sure things. The free agent market is one option, but could require a 5 or 6 year commitment to a declining asset.

Meanwhile, in New York, there is a team with a 3rd Baseman, who, by all accounts, they are done with. That's right, I'm talking about Alex Rodriguez. I know what you are thinking. He's overpaid, he's declining, he's a cheater, he once posed for a picture kissing himself in the mirror. All those things are true, and are the reason why he might be obtainable for very little. He is also, almost certainly, a legitimate upgrade at third. A-Rod has never posted a wRC+ under 113, and his full season low on base percentage is .348. Even in 2013, he put up .5 WAR in just 44 games. There is no guarantee he could produce those numbers after a year off at 39, but the bar to upgrade 3rd base is very low. I think its safe to assume he could be a legitimate 2 win upgrade over what the Astros had at 3rd last year.

This might not be a safe assumption, but assume the Astros would be able to absorb a large chunk of A-rod's contract. Right now, he's due to be paid 20 million a year for the next three years. Lets say the Astros take on 15 million of that. In that event, the Yankees might practically give him away. The Astros' surplus of catchers matches up with the Yankees' need. They have Brian McCann, but just lost their backup to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Carlos Corporan put up another fine season, and has proven himself to be a worthy backup. Would Carlos Corporan for Alex Rodriguez be something the Yankees would consider? I'm not sure, but it actually makes a lot of sense for both sides.

The Astros would have an immediate upgrade at 3rd, and the Yankees would be freed of a player they no longer desire, plus getting a nice backup catcher. The three year commitment is probably better than the Astros could do in the free agent market, and in the event one of the Ruiz or Moran is ready earlier, Rodriguez could easily move to a 1st/3rd/DH rotation.

Why the hell not? He's clearly an upgrade. Maybe he'll have some good seasons to regain some of his dignity. If he really takes off, and Moran is ready mid-season, trade him. I don't see a downside. What, are you afraid of THIS front office looking bad?

No, no, no, no. Like someone said, character matters. And ARod is perhaps the worst character in baseball in my lifetime. The Astros do not need him in any way shape or form. I mean, do you really want him being around all the core young guys, potentially influencing them? He is the anti-Biggio/Bagwell in every sense.

I actually like this trade idea. NYY will have to pay a majority of the K wherever he is traded to; I think us picking up 15M (5M per) is reasonable. Worst comes to worst, we cut him.

The only thing I'm worried about is Arod having a bad effect on our prospects, like Correa. But I think (and hope) at this point, Arod wants to give back to the game and could be a very valuable veteran to have on an up and coming squad.

Ludicrous! A clubhouse cancer. An lingering injury waiting to happen. A years worth of rust at age 39. A terrible example for a clubhouse full of younsters. Not to mention the dollars and prospects involved.

I have often wondered about bringing a player like A-Rod into the fold, but I think that there are two reasons why it would not happen.

Firstly, the Astros' major problem is a lack of 40-man roster spots, and A-Rod is going to consume one of those.

Secondly, blocking one of the corner-infield-DH prospects that the Astros have to sift through before the start of the of the 2016 season is not ideal. The Astros will probably want to give Dominguez a half-season to sort his stuff out (he is still just 25 for all of the 2015 season), then want to look at Moran. And that is without considering Sclafani and Ruiz, either of whom could catch on fire.

That's one way to get people into Minute Maid! But he is so reviled, Astros fans would be in the unenviable position of booing a player on their own team, and that's not how we do it in the South. Booing your team is more of a Phillies or Red Sox fan move.

For all the character comments: Perhaps he can get a chance to end his career on a positive note. I'm sure that he wants to play baseball and he's probably sick of the criticism. He probably just feels discarded and wants to belong again.

What do the Astros have to lose, anyways? They already lost 1-1 for 2015 and their 2014 1-1 selection.

1 The Astros do everything they can to keep their players away from reporters. This would be a nightmare.2. We don't even know if he can still play. 3. You just hired a new baseball coaching crew. You're going to saddle Hinch with this load?4.If you want people in the stands, spend money on a guy like Shields who makes your team better and gets people fired up for the right reasons.1oldpro

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Established in 2008, Astros County is your friendly neighborhood blog & grill. We are the Protectors of the Legacy of Dickie Thon, Defenders of the Honor of J.R. Richard, and Anti-American League. Orlando Palmeiro Was Safe.